Sirup boiling and skimming apparatus



B TAYLOR. SIRUP BOILING AND SKIMMING APPARATUS.

B TAYLOR SIRUP BOI LING AND SKIMMING APPARATUS,

PLICATION FILED JAN. 3, I919.

Patented June 27, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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PATENT OFFICE.

UELT TAYLOR, or ODENVILLE, ALABAMA.

SIRU]? BOILING AND SKIMMING APPARATUS.

and skimming apparatus adapted to refine and finish sorghum and other saccharine juices.

The principal object of my invention is to design an apparatus which will subject the juices to treatment in an initial boiling tank in which the impurities will be removed by a continuously operating mechanical skimmer and from this initial treatment ,tank' the semifinished sirup can be directed to either of two finishing tanks provided with heating coils to boil the sirup, and skimming mechanisms to remove the impurities brought to the surface of the sirup. My invention is designed particularly to use the expressed juices continuously and to effectively treat them by a partial boiling in the initial tank which leaves the juices in a condition to permit all fine vegetable matter in suspense to'be filtered therefrom before directing the juices to one or the other of the finishing tanks as I have found that sirup cannot be finished in a tank which is receiving juices continuously, nor can these fine vegetable matters be filtered out of the thick viscous finished product.

A further object of my invention relates to the novel arrangement of the heating coils in the tanks relatively to the skimming mechanisms, which latter are disposed over one end only of the tank and in position to' be cleared by the coils when swung upwardly to expose the bottom of the tank for clean- 111 A further ob ect of my invention 18 to parts which in their preferred embodiment only areshown in the accompanying drawings, in which V i p Fig. 1 is a plan view of the apparatus Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 2'7, 1922 Application filed'J'anuary 3, 1919. Serial N'o. 269,502. 5

' showing one form of my invention in which the filtering means is disposed at one end of the initial treatment tank.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 2- 2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direc tion of the arrows.

Fig. 3 is across sectional View on the line 33 of Fig. 2. i

. Fig. 4 is a detail view showing one end of the apparatus with the filter tanks disposed at the adjacent ends of the finishing tanks.

Fig. 5 is a detail view of the swivelled coupling for the heating coils.

Figs. 6 and 7 are detail views of the hanging skimmer.

Similar. reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings. i

The juices to be treated are introduced in any suitable manner into a central tank 1 preferably raised above the floor level and constituting the tank for initial treatment or partial finishing of the sirup. A steam coil 2 is disposed inithe bottom of this tank with its coils running lengthwise thereof and connected at one end to an inlet pipe section 3 and at its other end to an angled outlet pipe section 4;. These pipe sections 3 and 4 approach the opposite end walls of the tank in axial alignment and the section 3is connected by a reducing sleeve am a nipple 6. This nipple and the pipe section 1 pass through stufiing boxes *7, see Fig. 5, in the end Walls of the tank and the nipple has its outer end provided with a shoulder or collar which is received in the packing gland 8 of an angled globe valve 9. A nut 10 and washer ll on'the valve serve to close the packing joint about the nipple preventing the escape of steam while leaving the nipple free to turn so that the coils can swing on their pipe sections 3 and 4 as an axis to assume vertical position against the adjacent side wall of the tank and thereby expose the bottom of the tank to be cleaned.

As illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3', the tank 1 is'provided at one end with an outwardly sloping wall 12 and at its other end has a vertical wall13. Adjacent to this wall 13 is a partition wall 14 which subdivides from the tank 1 proper a filtering compartment 15 and the pipe section 3 passes through this wall 14 with a stuffing box 7 as de scribed; A wire mesh filtering basket 16 is seatedin the filter compartment and is filled with anysuitable filtering material 17 such as charcoal and the like. In the bottom near the center of the wall 14 I provide anoutlet port 18 controlled by a valve 19, the stern of which extends vertically through the top of the wall 14:. By opening this valve the partially finished sirup will flow from the initial tank 1 and will pass through the iiltering bed 17 and in a purified condition can be drawn off from the. filtering. chanjiber through ports 20 or 21 under control of valves 22 and 23, respectively, which have stems passing upwardly through the side walls of the tank 1. The steam coil2 is supplied with steam through a pipe 2e. under control of the valve 9" andthecoilproper is arranged lengthwise of the tank extending from the walllet and terminating a sufficient distance from the wall 12 to leave a skim sides, bythe finishing tanks 25' and'26 which.

are similar, each being equipped with aheating coil 27 having its aligninginlet and-outlet. pipe sections piercing the end walls of" the tanks throughstuffing boxes 7 and having nipple connections which. swivel freely in angle globe-valves that are suppliedwith steam from the pipe 2 1, The axis of each coil'is near the bottom and adjacent to the tank 1 so that the coils. are free to swing upwardly from the tank. 1 from either side. These coils like thecoil 2 stop short of the skimming Zone provided in these finishing tanks which have. sloping end walls 12 that rise to the level of the wall 12. The bends of each coil are braced together and connected at each end by wooden brace strips 28.

Each of the several tanks is provided with its individual mechanical skimming apparatus, all of which are similar in construction and onlyone of which for the tank 1 will therefore be described. Each skimmer mechanism comprises a. chain 29 traveling over sprocket wheels 30 and 31, the latter of which is supported by an overhung shaft 32 supported in a bearing bracket 32 mounted on the walls of tank 1. sprocket 30 is supported by. an outboard bearing 33 projecting substantially beyond. the end walls 12 and 12*. The sprockets 30 for the tanks 1 and 26 aremounted at the overhung ends of a shaft 3 1- journaled: at

its. center on one outboard bearing .33 and having a. driving pulley 35. The sprocket 36 journaled in the other outboard hearing The 33. and driven by a pulley 37 at its other end. The endless chains 29 may be of any suitable type and each is provided with at least one bearing. clip 38 which is attached to one of the links and provided with a transverse pivot bearing 39 for the upper angled end of the hanger rod 40. This upper end of the rod 4:0-is bent at right angles to the latter and inserted through the clip bearing and has its end bradded or othcrwis-ic adapted to be permanently hinged in the clip. At its lower end the hanger rod is pivotally connected to a bracket ll on a transversely disposed skimmer 42 which extends substantially the width of the tank and at. eachend carries brushes 43 which engage the side walls of its respective tank. The length of the rod lOand of its portion 39 is such as to permit the rod to swing freely vertically while its clip is rounding the sprockets 30 and 31, this arraagement-v preventing the skimmer from at any time riding on thetop. of the chain and causes it to be.

lowered gently into the sirup as the hanger rounds the sprocket 31. just clear-of the adjacent ends of the heating coils in its respective tank so that the latter can be swung upwardly without en gaging the skimming apparatus As the skimmer is drawn along it by the lower flight ofthe chain it floats on the surface of theliquid drawing the scum and foreign matter with it and scraping clean the side.

walls of the tank, and it draws the scum up the inclined wall 12 or 12 and discharges it into a trough 13 which may be a continuous trough for each tank. This. trough is so disposed that the skimmer after clearing the tank wall 12 or 12 will'swing and strike against its outer wall and thus clear itself of scum. and foreign matter. Each tank is provided with a drain cock 4 1 of any suitable character.

In Fig. 4 the only difference in the arrangement is that the partition wall 14: is removed-from the center tank and the latters coils extend to its wall 13 while a corresponding partition wall 1 1 is incorporated in each of the tanks 25 and 26", corresponding to 25 and 26, andwill form a separate filtering chamber 15 for each of these tanks. The filtering basket, such as already described, is inserted in these filtering compartments and a port 18" controlled by a valve 19 similar to the port 18 and valve 19, is provided in each partition wall 1 1 to, admit the filtered liquid into the tanks 25 and 26.

In operation. the juices are first treated in the tank 1, the coil 2xlyingin position in the bottom of the tank. and beingsupplied with steam so as to boil; thejuices. The boiling of thejuices tends to force the scum and floating impurities towards. the. skint. mingend' where the; a itation is less, due to This sprocket is 1 the other tanks.

the absence of the heating coil at that end, and there the scum comes under the control of the continuously operating skimming mechanism and is drawn off and discharged into the trough 43*. The partially purified juice in the tank 1 is drawn off from time to time, the fine vegetable matter in suspense therein being removed by passing the juices through the filtering compartment 15 or 4E5 under control of the valves described and delivered into either finishing tank 25, 26, 25 or 26 which is ready to receive it. The steam is admitted to the coils 27 in the latter tank and the finishing boiling process is therein completed, the scum and impurities collecting at the skimming ends of these latter tanks, being there collected and carried ofl by their respective skimming mechanism. The finished sirup can then be drawn off from the finishing tanks through the drain cocks 44;. The coils 2 and 27 are free to be swung up to permit the tanks to be perfectly cleaned and maintained in sanitary condition. The operation is continuous, the tank 1 having the capacity to receive the juices as they are expressed from the cane and to initially treat and partially purify as much sirup as can be finished in The constant skimming, performed mechanically enabled me to obtain a much higher grade, brighter colored, and purer product than that ordinarily obtained in the present sirup boiling tanks. To facilitate the drainage from the initial tank 1 to the finishing tanks 25 or 26, the latter are disposed at a lower level than the tank 1 and serve to support the latter in its elevated position.

This invention is not intended to be restricted in scope to the specific embodiments shown, but contemplates such modifications as come within the spirit and scope of the claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an apparatus for manufacturing sirup, means to heat the liquid therein, an endless carrier moving over the tank, and a float skimmer swung freely from said endless carrier and movable therewith into floating contact with the surface of the liquid in the tank.

2. In an apparatus for manufacturing sirup, a boiling tank, an endless carrier moving longitudinally over the tank, and a float skimmer-bar, long enough to extend practically from side wall to side wall of the tank,

which is swung from said endless carrier and movable therewith as a float over the surface of the liquid in the tank, said tank having a sloping end wall up which said float is drawn by the carrier, substantially as described.

3. In an apparatus for manufacturing sirup, a tank, an endless carrier moving over the tank, a float skimmer swung from said carrier and movable therewith as a float over the surface of the liquid in the tank, said tank having a sloping end wall beyond which said carrier extends and up which said float is drawn by the carrier, and a discharge trough for the skimmer having its wall remote from the tank disposed to be struck by the skimmer as it falls away from said end wall of the tank, substantially as described.

4. In a sirup manufacturing apparatus,a tank, a heating coil at one end thereof and a skimming means at the other end comprising an endless carrier movable over the tank, supporting and driving means for said carrier disposed on one side only of the latter, and a floating skimmer bar hinged to travel in suspended position from said carrier through its travel.

5. In a sirup manufacturing apparatus, a tank, means to boil the liquid in the tank, a mechanical skimming mechanism comprising a skimming element movable over the surface of the liquid in the tank, an endless chain connected to said element, sprocket wheels for said chain mounted at the corresponding ends of overhung bearing shafts, and an angled hanger rod journaled on a horizontal axis in said chain and overhanging therefrom on the free sides of said sprockets, and a sloping tank wall up which said skimmer element is adapted to be drawn by said chain.

6. In a tank for manufacturing sirup, means to boil the sirup in one end of the tank, an endless chain traveling over the other end of the tank, sprocket wheels for the chain mounted above the tank, a floating skimmer blade having substantiallythe width of the tank, means to hingedly swing said blade from said chain, and end brushes on the blade engaging the side walls of the tank.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

BUEL TAYLOR.

Witness NOMm WELSH. 

